Afterthought

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Still adjusting to life after South America. Miss those carefree days when we travelled wherever whenver we wanted and meeting new people everyday.

Visited 5 countries, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru on this trip. A little review of the places and people we met. (All based on my personal preference)

Accommodation
"Cosiest" Hostel: Hostel Central in Castro, Chiloe. 3 of us had to squeeze into a tiny little room with absolutely no walking space, esp when our big bags filled up the only little space left.

Most comfortable hostel: Hostel Glacier, Calafate. Floor heating was god-sent in this kind of cold weather.

Most homely hostel: Hostel in Vicuna. A house owned by a German lady, Rita. We were the only people there, so got to have the whole house to ourselves. So nice to just sit in the living room to read and watch TV. Had the most homely and healthiest breakfast spread, bread with homemade jam, avocado and spice spread, fruits, grape juice, yogurt and coffee.

Biggest hostel room: Colonial House, Arequipa. So huge that we could almost play basketball in the room.

People
Most friendly immigration officers: Chile. Though they look fierce, but they always smile and greet you when they process your entry/ exit.

Best host (hostel): Tie between Mona Lisa of Alamo Hostel in Mendoza and Luca of Cruz del Sur hostel in Ushuaia. Mona Lisa assisted us to contact different agencies to check on the possibility of trekking to Aconcagua, when it was off-season. Luca cooked curry chicken for us, knowing that we miss home food.


Transport
Favourite bus company: Andesmar in Argentina. Other than the comfortable seats and the tasty food provided onboard, what made the difference is Mr Goodnight. We were served by a hunky looking steward who looked all macho and aloof but unknowingly displayed the band of his brief with the word "Goodnight" printed on it.

Places
Favourite place: Ushuaia. Nice people, warm hostel (Cruz del Sur), beautiful scenery. Love the red leaves on the trees in Martial Glacier. Love the wild rabbits running around in Tierra Del Fuego National Park.

Favourite capital city: Buenos Aires. Safest and most organised city. Modern with artsy feel.

Most beautiful sunrise: Sunrise over the Uyuni Salt Plain. The change of colours was simply amazing.

Most unforgettable place: Torres Del Paine. Braving the strong wind and cold weather but rewarded with one of the most beautiful sight on earth.

Starriest place: Amantani Island in Lake Titicaca (Peru). The stars appeared so near that you thought you could almost touch them.

Food
Scariest thing I ate: Guinea pig. A delicacy in Peru, esp in Cuzco area. Overwhelmed by the way it's served, with the face, teeth and claws altogether.

Best meal we had: Curanto at farm in Chiloe. Hips of mussels, clams, chicken, potato cakes, pork, washed down with Chilean wine. Yummy...

Tastiest fries: I dunno if we were too deprived or the aunties inside the little container are very cute, but the piping hot fries we had at Puerto Natales were extremely tasty.

Feelings
Scariest moment: To slide down on the snow-covered slope at Volcan Villarica when you couldn't see the end of where you're going.

Stupidest moment: When that stupid dog followed us on street in Ushuaia, we were so afraid that we ran and hide in an ice-cream shop.

Happiest moment: When we finally reached the end of the trek at Torres del Paine. Yeah!

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